The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
First line: The first time I saw a sleeper, I was nine years old.
Summary: The town of West Hall, Vermont, has had a history of strange disappearances and deaths. One the first and most confounding is Sara Harrison Shea in 1908. She was found in her backyard shortly after the death of her daughter.
Now in the present day, Ruthie along with her mother and sister live in Sara’s house. Nothing strange has ever happened until one day Ruthie’s mother, Alice disappears without a trace. While Ruthie is searching for clues about where her mother has gone she discovers a copy of Sara’s diary. As she looks into the mystery surrounding Sara she starts to see some parallels with others who have searched for lost love ones. Could they all be connected somehow? What is happening on this farm in small town Vermont?
My Thoughts: I picked this up at a used bookstore with the plan to use it as a vacation read. I know it doesn’t look like something you’d take on a trip to sunny Florida but it was also October. I have read several of McMahon’s books and always really enjoyed them. She does a perfect mix of mystery with a paranormal twist.
I enjoyed the jumping between the historical events of Sara and the present day with Ruthie. Multiple timelines and flashbacks are one of my favorite writing formats. The Sara storyline was really creepy and gave me chills. It was a perfect pick for spooky season but under all the scary bits it brings forth a really difficult question. What would we be willing to do for a little more time with a loved one who has died? It seems so tempting but as we see in this novel it may not be all we expected it to be. This book will make you think deeper thoughts and scare you at the same time. If you want a book for those cold dark nights then this is it!
FYI: Trigger warning : Death of a child, murder, scary scenes.
